What to look for as the Rockets take on the 76ers

What to look for as the Rockets take on the 76ers

The Houston Rockets travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Wednesday evening. The Rockets have been hit hard by injuries – so much so that they’re missing two starters and a key backup tonight. Chris Paul, Nene and Trevor Ariza will all be out on Wednesday leaving some holes in the rotation. The starting lineup is expected to be James Harden, Eric Gordon, Luc Mbah a Moute, Ryan Anderson and Clint Capela.

One of the biggest storylines for the Rockets this season has been the development of Capela. Capela has gone from raw athlete to solid prospect to starter very quickly – now, he’s a nightly double-double threat and an equally dangerous player on both ends of the court. Typically, a matchup against bigger, stronger bigs like Embiid, Dwight Howard or Marc Gasol (all of whom he’ll see this week) would be times where Nene would be relied on – these days, D’Antoni isn’t worried about whether Capela could hold his own or now.

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It’s really great to see the confidence – what’s even more encouraging is to know that Tarik Black is still there and actually seems to match up very well with these guys in a relief role. Black may be a bit undersized but makes up for that in both athleticism and toughness – he’s a very talented rebounder and a tough-nosed defender. Now healthy, he should have a big role on this upcoming road trip.

Speaking of relief, James Harden is the only point guard on roster that seems to be trusted by D’Antoni. While Demetrius Jackson and Bobby Brown are sitting healthy on the bench, neither have really been used all season and the Rockets dipped into the free agent pool to pick up Isaiah Canaan. Canaan was originally drafted by the Houston Rockets and is a familiar face – he spent some time in Philadelphia and averaged double-digit points for the 76ers in his time there. During said time, Mike D’Antoni was a specialty coach and actually worked with Canaan – it wouldn’t be difficult to imagine that Canaan gets some minutes tonight.

Luc Mbah a Moute and P.J. Tucker are going to have to handle the perimeter defense and have a daunting task in rookie Ben Simmons. While only a rookie, he’s clearly one of the most NBA-ready and talented young players we’ve ever seen – Simmons has already gotten one triple-double and has been close to a triple-double in each game. At nearly seven-foot, Simmons is their point guard and is one of the most gifted passers in the league; regardless of position or size. Another thing they need to watch is their transition defense – this 76ers squad has a lot of athletes and the Rockets need to be careful when guarding them.

Ryan Anderson hasn’t been much of a factor for a lot of the season – he needs to play big tonight. With Philly’s size, he’s going to need to be hyperactive on the boards and he’s going to need to outrun their bigs. With Embiid on a minutes limit, many players come in and out of the game for Philadelphia, it’s important for Anderson to take advantage of opposing bigs who may not be able to get into a full rhythm.

OAKLAND, CA – OCTOBER 17: Eric Gordon #10 of the Houston Rockets dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors during their NBA game at ORACLE Arena on October 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Eric Gordon has played extremely well and, while his three-point shot hasn’t dropped efficiently, he’s still finding ways to score. Gordon looks the best he’s looked in a number of years physically and his game is proving it. You can see in his game that he’s able to cut to the basket, get into the lane and even perform athletic plays that at the rim that we haven’t witnessed in years. So far this season, he’s averaged 23.5 points per game in only 30.5 minutes per game. His production has only increased since he replaced Chris Paul in the starting lineup – look for that to continue as he has a date with J.J. Reddick on defense.

All in all, the Rockets are still considered favorites to go ahead and win this game. It’s a bit baffling that without so many key players the Rockets are still favored but last week’s Western Conference Player of the Week James Harden probably has something to do with that. This has the feel of a game where the Rockets just need to stick to their gameplan, avoid getting in foul trouble and limit transition opportunities to walk away with the win.

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